Irene Decided to Die - Chapter 114
Burt was indeed a capable king, but there was no guarantee he could break a curse.
Yet, thinking of him brought her comfort. They were only bound by a contract, nothing more, nothing less.
Irene raised her hand to her chest. She could feel the earring attached to the innermost part of her clothes.
But Luciel seemed to interpret her action differently.
“Are you finally afraid?”
Afraid? No, she wasn’t afraid. But here, showing weakness didn’t seem like a bad idea.
Irene deliberately shrank back and clasped her hands together.
“Praying to the goddess won’t help. She’s not a true being,”
Luciel said with a smirk, reciting a few verses from the scriptures. Each word was dreadful and horrific.
After he finished, he finally disappeared from Irene’s sight.
“Saintess!”
As soon as Luciel vanished, Diana burst into the room.
“Are you alright? Did Luciel do something to you?”
Behind Diana was the young man Irene had healed earlier, Charles.
“He didn’t do much.”
“Even so, what did he do?”
“He just gave me poison.”
“What?”
Diana’s face turned pale upon hearing Irene’s words.
“You didn’t actually take the poison, did you? Did you?”
“Um.”
Turning her head with an embarrassed expression, Diana cried out tearfully.
“You said you couldn’t heal your own wounds!”
“That’s true.”
“Then why did you take it!”
She started to sob uncontrollably. Charles, patting Diana’s back, looked at Irene with a worried expression and asked.
“Why did you really take it? You should have refused, no matter what.”
“It was difficult to refuse. I’m sorry.”
“There’s no need to apologize. It’s just that…”
Charles rubbed his forehead with his hand.
“Since childhood, we’ve learned that if the Saintess dies from anything other than natural causes, the world will fall into chaos.”
“For a hundred years, there will be no new Saintess.”
“A hundred years. An incomprehensible span of time. How many people will suffer during that period? Although Luciel might have made it impossible for you to refuse, I’m still worried.”
“The Saintess must not die.”
“Even if we all perish, the Saintess must live.”
What made the life of a Saintess so different in value? Irene sighed in sadness.
“Forgive my rudeness, but please understand this one thing. If you ever get a chance to escape, even if it means we all die, don’t look back and leave.”
“Life is precious to everyone.”
“No, it’s not.”
“That’s what the scriptures say.”
“But reality is different, isn’t it?”
The lives of commoners and nobles differ, as do the lives of ordinary people and those marked with ominous symbols.
“Please, cherish your life.”
“Alright. I will. But promise me one thing. Promise that you will also cherish your own lives.”
“Saintess.”
“If you don’t promise, neither can I.”
Irene said firmly.
“I promise!”
Diana was the first to respond.
“So, you must promise too, Saintess!”
“And you?”
“…I promise as well.”
“Good. I promise to cherish my life too.”
Thus, the three made their promises to each other. Then Irene asked what had been on her mind.
“Can conversations here be heard outside?”
“No, they can’t eavesdrop. They wouldn’t go to such lengths for us. They might install something later, but not now.”
“Then I’ll tell you. The king knows I was brought here.”
“That’s right. The King of the North,”
Diana confirmed.
“But why did you come here in the first place?”
With an incredulous expression, Charles asked, and Irene smiled awkwardly.
“Because Diana is here?”
“Why Diana? Did you want to save her?”
“Yes.”
“Oh my goodness.”
Charles rubbed his forehead.
“Actually, I know Adlen.”
“You know Adlen too?”
“I met her last time.”
Though it was more like being half-kidnapped, it was still a meeting.
“I think I understand.”
Charles thought it must be because of the shared sense of being marked with an ominous symbol. But this time, it felt like too much of a risk.
“It’s alright. I’ll do my best to make everything right.”
“Even on second thought, it was the wrong choice. I care for Diana too, but if asked to choose between you and her, I would choose you, Saintess.”
“Aren’t you bitter about the world?”
“No matter how bitter it is, I can’t let it fall apart.”
Seeing Charles respond calmly, Diana pouted her lips.
